Automobile street-cleaner.



D. GAUL.

AUTOMOBILE STREET CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED MAB. 11 1912.

Patented Sept. 9, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

C(ZiZ/zwas $6 1). GAUL. AUTOMOBILE STREET CLEANER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.11, 1912.

1,072,713, v Patentgd Sept. 9, 1913.

2 SHEBTSSHEET2. I

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and illustration of DICE.

Davin each, or Los enemas. CALIFORNIA.

AUTOMOBILE STREET-CLEANER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 9, 1913.

Application filed March 11, 1912. Serial No. 683,111.

from the subjoined detail description.

be carried out in va;

The invention may rious forms.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention in its preferredform.

Figure l is a side elevation of an automobile street-cleaner constructedin accordance Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken sectional detail in elevationfrom line a, Fig. 5. Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of some ofthe parts in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a rear elevation from the left of Fig. 1.Fig.5 is an enlarged fragniental sectional elevation on line 00 Fig. 1illustrating the adjustable brush and thelower rear end of the elevator;Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmental detail on line at, Fig. 5

1 of the adjustable brush support.

Arrows on the section lines of the dill'er ent views indicate thedirection of sighi it is understood that the usual automobile drivingand steering apparatus is employed is omitted to avoid confusion of thelines.

To simplify the drawings, the chains are shown taut.

The automobile chassis or body 1 is in the form of a horizontalrectangular frame and is carried by any usual means, not shown, on theusual front and rear wheels 2, 3; the rear driving wheels 3 beingconnected by driving connections 4 with a shaft 5, which is providedwith a pinion 6 meshingwith a reversing spur wheel 7 mounted on areversing shaft 8 that is provided with a sprocket wheel 9 connpcted bya sprocket chain 10 and sprocket wheel 11 with a main line shaft 12havinga sprocket 13 connected by a driving chain 14 with a sprocket 15which is mounted on a brush line shaft 16 that extends across the frameand is provided with two sprockets 17 which are ar ranged one on eitherside of the body 1 and which are connected to chains 18 led the steeringapparatus around sprockets 19 on shafts 20 of main rotary brushes ablytwo. The engine shaft 5 and reversing shaft 8 are journaled on the frame1.

The outer ends of the brush shafts 20 are ournaled in boxes 22 which areslotted at 23 to receive bolts 24: by which they are adjust-ablyconnected to the sides of a conveyer chute 25 in order that the rotarybrushes maybe moved toward and from the street surface to compensate forwear of the brushes.

21 of which there are prefer-- The inner adjacent ends of the brush 7shafts 20 are slidably mounted relative to the frame 1 and areadjustably mounted relative to the. street surface by suitable means. Inthe drawings the brush shafts 20 are provided at their inner adjacentends with journals 26 having convex opposing rocker faces 27 andpreferably provided with an antifriction journal box 28 which as shownto an exaggerated degree is sufiiciently cut away around the journals toavoid binding.

The journal box 28 is slidably mounted relative to the frame l by acylindrical post 29 and guides 30, 31 in the form of superposed.eye-bars which are bolted to the top of the chute 95, and the journalbox 28 is further provided with a bracket 32 that is perforated toreceive the threaded'stem of a forked head which journals a brushsupporting wheel 35.

The stem 33 is provided above and below the bracket with washers andnuts 36, 37 to adjustably hold the stem in order that the inner ends ofthe rotary brushes 21 may be moved toward and from the street surfaceand the post 29 is perforated in several places at its upper portion toreceive a stop 33 in the form of a pin, projecting at right angles fromthe stem so as to limit downward movement of the stem and conse qucntlyof the inner ends of the main brushes 21.

The shiftable mounting of the inner ends of the main brushes 21 as setforth 'compem sates for differences in the direction of slope of streetsurfaces, as are found, for instance, on opposite sides of the crown ofa street and permits self-alining of the brushes to such irregularsurfaces.

A rotary curb brush 38 is provided on one side of the median line of themachine for the purpose of brushing material from ,the gutter into thepath of the main brushes 21, and such curb brush is preferably arrangedwith sleeves 43 which are slidably mounted street surface.

ternately at intervals angle-iron scrapers 58 that extend side to sideof and contact with the of the chute; and are adapted to move anymaterial deposited on the 'rear chute apron 49 into the chute 25.

The main brushes 57 are each provided with guides which may be formed bythe projecting ends of a plate 59 that is faitened along the top of thebrush, said pla 6 ends being accommodated in ways 60 which are formedalong both sides of the chute 25 by parallel upper and lower angle-irons61, 62, that are spaced apart and riveted from end to end of the chuteand preferably have their rear ends flared away from one another so asto readily admit the brush guides to the ways 60 without binding. Oneleg of each of the scrapers 58 may be extended at either end to alsoform guides similar to those formed by plate 59, and similarly adaptedto slide in the ways 60.

The purpose of the guides and Ways is to keep the conveyer brushes flatagainst the chute floor and also to prevent the scrapers from beingturned and forced away from the chute floor by the weight of thematerial and furthermore act to prevent vibration and jumping of thechain and its attachments.

The rear end of the conveyer chute 25 may be adjusted toward and fromthe street surface and may be held in the adjusted position by suitablemeans. In the drawings the sides of the rear'ends of the chute 25 areprovided with links 63 pivoted at 64 to the chute and pivotedto'adjusting levers 65 which are pivoted to andwork on quadrants 66 andwhich are provided with latches 67 to engage the quadrants and hold thelevers 65 in adjusted position.

The reversing shaft 8 is preferably journaled in movable relation to theframe so that when the rear end of the conveyer chute 25 is 'raisedthegears 6 and 7 may be moved away from-one another farther than suchraising of the chute would effect in order that the gears may bethrowncompletely out of mesh. For this purpose the journal box 68 of thereversing shaft 8 is hinged at 69 on the frame 1 and is pivoted at to ahand lever 71 which is fulcrumed at 72 to one of the standards 47 andwhen operated to throw the gear 7 out of commission the fastened to theframe 1.

The journal box 68 may wish its outer end in advance of its inner en 5The curb brush 38 is journaled at its ends in complementary hangerswhich are each preferably formed of two relatively slidable members 39,39, the member 39 being bolted to the frame. The hanger journal members391 are provided along their rear edges with radks a to mesh withpinions 40 which are fixed to a shaft 41 that is provided on its outerend with a handle 42 and that is journaled to braces 43 which are boltedbeneath the frame 1.

The hanger members 39 are fastened at their lower ends to the braces 43which act as keepers for the hanger journal members 39' that areprovided at their upper ends from on the hanger arms 39.

By turning the hancKlp 42 in the appropriate direction the cur brush 38may be moved toward 'and from the, streetsurface and may be held in theposition of adjustment by means of dogs 43 which engage the pinions 40and are pivoted to the braces 43. r

The curb brush 38 is ner journal end with a chain sheave 44 which isdriven by a chain 45 led around (a chain sheave 46 that is mounted onthe reversing shaft 8.

The conveyer chute 25 is pivotally mounted at its front end on the mainline shaft 12 between a pair of standards 47 which are mounted on theframe 1 and journal the main line shaft; and the rear end of the convyer chute is held free from the street surface by chute supportingWheels 4-8. The rear edge of the floor of the conveyer chute 25 isprovided from side to side with an apron 49 which is pivotally connectedat 50 to the chute so that it will close the space between the rear endof the chute and the The front edge of the floor chute 25 is providedfrom side to side with an apron 51 which is pivotally connected at 52tothe chute and projects over the edge of the rear wall of a receiver 53that may be in the form of a rectangular box which normally rest-s atits rear against the standards 47 that accommodate between them thefront end of a combined brush and scraper conveyer 54.

The main line shaft 12 is provided inside of the conveyer chute 25 Withsprocket wheels 55 to receive and drive the endless conveyer chains 56which are trained around dler sprocket wheels 55 that are independentlyjournaled at 55" near the rear end of the chute and adjacent the mainrotary brushes 21. By this construction the lower end of the chute isunobstructed from side to side so as to readily admit the sweepings fromthe main brushes 21.

The conveyer chains 56 are provided alprovided at its inof the conveyerbe secured against mesh by a hook 74 which is pivoted at 70 to thejournal box and may be thrown into engagement with a pin that projectsfrom the frame 1;

In practical operation the main and curb rotary brushes 21, 88, beingcorrectly adjusted, the street cleaner Wlll be driven forward oor levermay be held by a link 73 with brushes 57 and movement when the gearwheels 6, 7. are in in the direction of the large arrowby an automobileengine or other suitable means, and power will be applied through thedriving connections to drive main and curb ro-' tary brushes 21, 38reversely to the driving wheels 3 in the direction of thearrows adjacentthe brushes, and the power so applied will also drive the conveyer inthe direction of the arrow all as in Fig. 1.

The curb brush 38 will sweep the gutter free of material and deposit itin the pathis obvious, moving the coarser material which tends to escapefrom the brushes and the brushes moving the finer material which tendsto escape from the scrapers.

When'the street'cleaner is operating along the middle or crown of thestreet, the machine is guided to bring the brush sup orting wheel at thecrest or middle 0 the crown and the main rotary brushes 21 will thenindependently adjust themselves to the re erse slopes of the streetsurface, thus thoroughly sweeping such portions.

When it is desired to empty the receiver 53, the frontchute apron 51 maybe swung up and backward and the receiver may then be moved to one sideof the frame and tilted to discharge the contents.

When the sweeping operation is not desired, the lower end of the chutetogether with the main rotary brushes may be raised out of operatingposition by raising the levers 65 and the gear wheels 6, 7 may be thrownout of mesh with one another by day of March, 1912.

depressing the lever 71, and the curb-brush o 38 may also be raised fromcontact with.

.'Iclaim:- 1. In a street cleaner,.the combination with the frame, of aconveyer chute pivotally. 5 mounted at its front end on'the frame,rotary brushes journaled on the rear, end of and in slidable relation tothe conveyer the street surface by operating the handle 42.

chute, a wheel to adjustably support the inner ends of the brushes, andmeans to sup port the rear end of the chute.

2. In a street cleaner, the combination with the frame, of a chutemounted on theframe, shafts adjustably journaledat their outer ends onthe frame, a journal box at the inner ends of the shafts and havin asliding connection with the chute, a brac et connected to said journalbox, a wheel adjustably mounted on the bracket, and brushes mounted onthe'shafts for the pur- 6'0 pose set forth. l 3. In a street cleaner,the combination with the frame, of a chute mounted on they frame,shaftsvadjustably journaled at their outer ends on the frame and havingconvex inner ends, a journal box at the inner ends of the shafts andhaving a sliding connection with the chute, a bracket connected to saidjournal box, a wheel ad'ustably mounted on the bracket, and brus esmounted on the shafts for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles,California, this 2d DAVID GAUL.

In presence of- JAMEs R. TOWNSEND, L. BELLE RICE.

